9:54 AM HST Sep 22, 2012
HONOLULU —
A mysterious coral die-off on Kauai’s north shore is prompting a team of scientists to take a closer look at what may be killing large areas of coral reef.
Marine biologist Terry Lilley has been monitoring and documenting Kauai’s marine environment for the last decade or more.
This summer he was struck at how fast he was seeing something kill off what he estimates are millions of coral colonies.
“Something is damaging the reefs in the whole part of the island so it has to be something relatively big,” said Lilley.
Lilley contacted scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey who’ve determined the diseased coral is different from what killed coral heads in Kaneohe Bay last year.